Extension Practice

What is Extension?

A history in Australia

Performance Indicators and Benchmarking in Extension

Pareto's Law

To assist extension planning

Diffusion of Innovations Theory

Founded by Everett Rogers

Peter Honey and Alan Mumford

Learning Styles

Bennett's Hierarchy

Extension Program Evaluation Model

published - 1 September 2016

Cow Up a Tree – Collaborative Learning

A key argument within this theory is that the current extension situation has changed since the linear model of extension (adoption and diffusion model) was adopted worldwide after WWII. Cow up a tree argues that new issues are emerging such as:

Environmental crises
Food safety and quality
Rural and urban relationships, and
Multi-functionality of …
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Actors, Collaborative action, Collaborative learning, Critical engagement, Framework, Learning process approach, New extension approaches

Theory

published - 31 August 2016

Extension is Capacity Building

Capacity Building and Community Engagement is seen as a key development in the contemporary extension space and so is described in more detail as an approach. This is in the context of recognising the constantly changing conditions in which extension takes place (i.e. changing mix of institutional, cultural, political, technological, …
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Capacity building, Enabling change, Facilitation and Empowerment Model, Increasing capacity building, Information Access, Programmed Learning, Technological development

Theory

published - 28 August 2016

Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS)

The Agriculture Innovation System (AIS) is “a network of organisations, enterprises, and individuals focused on bringing new products, new processes, and new forms of organisation into economic use, together with the institutions and policies that affect their behaviour and performance,” (World Bank, 2006:16) that is, the way different agents interact, share, …
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Agricultural Innovation Systems, AIS, Innovation, Network, Partners, Value chain

Methods & Tools

published - 26 August 2016

Agricultural Extension and Rural Development: Breaking out of Knowledge Transfer Traditions

Ison and Russell state that traditional first-order R&D (Research to knowledge to transfer to adoption to diffusion) has failed to take the social, political and environmental context (this includes the RD&E practitioner with their thinking and actions) into account when developing solutions. In other words, the RD&E system is a …
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Engagement, Experiential Knowledge, Knowledge making, RD&E, Self reflexive

Theory

published - 22 August 2016

Stakeholder Analysis Tool

Stakeholder analysis is an important initial step in project work as it is a process that can provide insights into and an understanding of the interactions between a project and its stakeholders. This tool can identify and prioritise which stakeholders can have impact on the project’s success and is often …
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Prioritise, Rank, Stakeholder Analysis Tool

Methods & Tools

published - 22 August 2016

Personality Test: DISC (Get To Know Yourself and Others Better)

Image source: John Fallon, YouTube Presentation, Published August 10th, 2012
DISC is commonly used as a tool to get to know yourself and others better, and how this applies to our behaviour in interpersonal situations. The tool is used to make communication more effective. More specific versions of the DISC assessment …
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DISC, Personality patterns, Personality test

Methods & Tools

published - 20 August 2016

Extension as a Knowledge System

This model of engagement is based on the ideas of knowledge systems being a series of interrelated functions and processes using terms such as knowledge brokering, knowledge translating, knowledge exchange and knowledge mobilisation.
In 2012, at a conference hosted by the United Nations University – Institute of Water, Environment and health …
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Framework, K*Spectrum, Knowledge systems

Methods & Tools, Theory

published - 10 August 2016

Farming Systems Research

There are numerous definitions and practices around Farming Systems Research (FSR). However, according to the ACIAR definition of Farming Systems Research it is:

Research related to the smallholder, subsistence-orientated agriculture sector because this is the principal target group for FSR through ACIAR;
FSR projects are multidisciplinary and holistic in perspective, therefore projects …
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Farming systems research, Researcher

Methods & Tools